Syngenta Flowers Enters Begonia Breeding Collaboration With McLeod Valley Greenhouses and Receives Exclusive Rights to Begonia Genetics

GILROY, Calif. USA – Syngenta Flowers today announced it has entered a global breeding collaboration with McLeod Valley Greenhouses of Whitecourt, Alberta, Canada. McLeod Valley will work exclusively with Syngenta Flowers to breed and develop innovative Begonia genetics for Syngenta Flowers’ global markets.

McLeod Valley’s breeding brings innovative genetics and groundbreaking varieties to modern Begonias. The new collaboration with McLeod Valley will support Syngenta Flowers’ strategic ambition to grow and transform the vegetative Begonia category.

“McLeod Valley’s breeding is truly cutting edge and sets a strong foundation for Syngenta’s continued growth in the Begonia class,” said Mark Schermer, Global Head of Syngenta Flowers.  “Cathy Knoblauch’s vision for the potential of this genus, and her accomplishments thus far, bring much excitement to Syngenta Flowers and our customers.  We are so excited to take this next step to represent this breed worldwide with Cathy Knoblauch and Grant McDonald of McLeod Valley Greenhouses.”

This agreement will allow Syngenta Flowers to have exclusive global rights to produce and market McLeod Valley’s innovative Begonia genetics. This collaboration on vegetative breeding will complement the existing class-leading seed Begonias at Syngenta Flowers, such as the innovative Tophat™ Begonia series, launched in 2018. McLeod Valley Greenhouses and Syngenta Flowers aim to launch their first varieties in the coming seasons, as continued research and trialing are completed.

“We are delighted to be working with the dedicated and professional team at Syngenta Flowers.  We look forward to many years of collaborative efforts to bring to the market a range of easy-to-grow, versatile and beautiful new Begonia hybrids,” said Cathy Knoblauch, owner of McLeod Valley Greenhouses.

Syngenta Flowers is a leading global company in the pot and bedding plants market, producing seeds, cuttings and young plants that fulfill grower’s and retailer’s needs. Its team of 2,300 people brings color to the world with innovative varieties in a broad range of crops. As part of Syngenta, a global company with a strong focus on the seeds business and breeding, Syngenta Flowers has access to leading breeding technologies and creates value for customers by creative collaborations with strong partners. To learn more, visit www.syngentaflowers-us.com.

About Syngenta

Syngenta is one of the world’s leading agriculture companies. Our ambition is to help safely feed the world while taking care of the planet. We aim to improve the sustainability, quality and safety of agriculture with world class science and innovative crop solutions. Our technologies enable millions of farmers around the world to make better use of limited agricultural resources. With 28,000 people in more than 90 countries we are working to transform how crops are grown. Through partnerships, collaboration and The Good Growth Plan we are committed to improving farm productivity, rescuing land from degradation, enhancing biodiversity and revitalizing rural communities. To learn more, visit www.syngenta.com and www.goodgrowthplan.com. Follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Syngenta and www.twitter.com/SyngentaUS.

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